Hand shield for the unassisted donning of gloves

ABSTRACT

A protective garment having a sleeve that possesses an interior region and a peripheral surface attached to a hand shield. The hand shield also has an interior region and a peripheral opening. The peripheral opening of the hand shield is attached to and shares a common border with the peripheral surface of the sleeve thereby enabling direct access between the interior regions of the sleeve and the hand shield. The hand shield is designed to be detached from the sleeve at a zone of separation without damaging the sleeve. Use of this protective garment is conducive to methods for the unassisted donning of sterile gloves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the sterile donning ofgloves, more specifically, to the unassisted sterile donning of glovesthat may be designed to be used in conjunction with protective garments.

Gloves, including surgical gloves, are worn in a variety of environmentsthat demand sterility, for example, the medical, food-preparation andmanufacturing “clean room” environments. In the medical environment,gloves are worn to prevent the hands of medical professionals fromcontacting a patient's body during a physical examination or a surgicaloperation. They are universally recognized as a major safeguard againstthe risk of inadvertent or accidental infection of the patient in theadministration of medical and dental treatment. Wearing nonsterilegloves in such an environment may lead to infection of the patient. Inthe “clean room” environment, gloves are worn to prevent the hands of atechnician from directly contacting items, such as wafers and otherdevices supporting highly sensitive electronic circuits. Wearingnonsterile gloves in such an environment may lead to contamination ofsuch items, making them unsuitable for use.

As such, these gloves are manufactured to be sterile. Sterility of theglove can be adversely affected during the process in which the wearerputs on or dons the glove. During this process, the hands can contactand contaminate the gloves by the inadvertent transfer of microbes foundon the wearer's hands to the sterile glove surfaces. Ordinarily, atleast in the case of the medical profession, the risk of undesirablecontamination in this process is reduced by putting the glove on byusing one of two generally accepted fashions or techniques forunassisted donning; that is, open glove donning or closed glove donning.

The open glove donning technique now used for donning gloves, forexample surgical gloves, requires that the sealed package containing thesterile gloves be carefully opened so that the inner surfaces of thepackage, and more particularly, the outside surfaces of the glovescontained therein, do not come in contact with any nonsterile surface.As such, the gloves are usually packaged with their cuffs everted; thatis, turned inside out and folded downwardly. To don the right glove, onegrasps the right glove on the fold of the everted cuff with the lefthand and the right hand is inserted into the glove opening. Next, theleft glove is picked up and held with the right hand by slipping thegloved fingers of that hand underneath the everted cuff while the lefthand is inserted into the glove opening. To complete glove donning theeverted cuffs are carefully pulled over the distal ends of the garment'ssleeves so that the entirety of the previously exposed surfaces of theeverted cuffs are on the insides of the gloves and the outsides remainuntouched by ungloved hands.

In the closed glove donning technique, the gloves are handled throughthe fabric of the sleeve itself, for example a surgical gown sleeve. Assuch, the wearer's hand does not extend outside from the sleeve untilthe open end of the glove is actually pulled over the sleeve. The closedglove donning technique may best be conveyed by describing its currentuse in a surgical arena. This method assumes that the wearer is alreadywearing a sterile surgical gown. Accordingly, the wearer uses the lefthand while keeping it within the sleeve of the gown to pick up the rightglove by its everted cuff. In this manner, the glove itself is notdirectly touched since the left hand is shielded by the sleeve. With theright hand extended palm upward but retained occluded within the sleeve,the left hand places the palm of the glove with fingers pointing towardsthe wearer against the occluded palm of the right hand. The closest edgeof the everted cuff is grasped by the right hand through the sleevefabric. Next, the left hand pulls the ungrasped everted cuff edge overthe right sleeve and hand. The left hand is gloved in the same mannerusing the gloved right hand to appropriately place the left glove andpull it over the left sleeve and hand.

Both glove donning methods entail difficulties: open glove donningrequires a high level of finger and hand dexterity; closed glove donningsuffers from finger and hand dexterity being hampered while one'sfingers remain shielded by the sleeve. As would be expected by suchcomplex procedures, they are susceptible to numerous accidentalcontamination possibilities, especially during times of distress andurgency. Thus, a need exists that would enable a wearer to don anunattached glove effectively and in an aseptic manner. Such a methodwould have an added advantage if it could be performed withoutnecessitating the help of an assistant, more so if it were alsoeconomically cost effective to implement and practice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

The present invention provides a protective garment. The garment itselfincludes a garment body having sleeves, each sleeve terminating in anopen end, and a hand shield attached to at least one of the sleeves. Thehand shield is essentially a pouch-like compartment which has aperipheral opening aligned with and having a common border with aperipheral surface of the sleeve. This structure is adapted to receive aportion of a wearer's hand therethrough and contain it within thecompartment. At least a portion of the hand shield is detachable fromthe sleeve at a zone of separation and may be so detached withoutdamaging the sleeve. The invention may be especially well suited tosurgical gowns, clean room garments, and work wear. The hand shield maybe made of a film, may be made of the same material as the sleevematerial, or may be made of various other polymers and/or plastisols.The physical configuration of the hand shield may take the form of aglove, a mitt, and/or a pouch.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a sleeve that may be usedalone or in conjunction with a protective garment. In this embodiment,the sleeve may have an interior region, an opening, and a peripheralsurface. A hand shield having an interior region and a peripheralopening is attached to and shares a common border with the peripheralsurface of the sleeve enabling direct access between the interiorregions of the sleeve and the hand shield. At least a portion of thehand shield is detachable from the sleeve at a zone of separationwithout damaging the sleeve.

The invention provides an advantage enabling the wearer to gainadditional dexterity while donning a sterile glove in an aseptic manner.In this way, the invention addresses at least certain of thedisadvantages of conventional glove donning solutions currentlyavailable in the market and discussed above. It should be appreciatedthat, although the present invention has particular usefulness in thesurgical arena, particularly in its use with a surgical gown, theinvention is not limited in scope to surgical gowns or the medicalindustry. The hand shield used with or without a protective garmentaccording to the present invention has wide application and can be usedin any instance where a protective coverall, gown, robe, etc., is usedwith gloves. All such uses and garments are contemplated within thescope of the invention. These and other objects are achieved by theprocess disclosed and claimed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A-1C are perspective views of embodiments of a protective garmentcontaining three different hand shield configurations according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a garment sleeve according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of an alternative garment sleeveaccording to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of another garment sleeve accordingto an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of still another garment sleeveaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to one or more examples of theinvention depicted in the FIGS. Each example is provided by way ofexplanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of theinvention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of oneembodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still adifferent embodiment. Other modifications and variations to thedescribed embodiments are also contemplated within the scope and spiritof the invention.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate various embodiments of a disposable handcovering or hand shield 10 according to the invention. Numerousconfigurations of the hand shield 10 are possible including that shownin FIG. 1A wherein the hand shield 10 is configured as a pouch-likecompartment or receptacle capable of receiving at least a portion of awearer's hand therein. In another embodiment, the hand shield 10 may beconfigured as a mitten or mitt 12 having a finger compartment 14separate from a thumb compartment 16 as depicted in FIG. 1B. In anotherembodiment, depicted in FIG. 1C, the hand shield 10 may be configured asa glove 18, that is, it may have a separate cot 20 for each finger,including the thumb. In any of the embodiments, the hand shield may bedesigned to be one-size-fits-all without negatively impacting itsfunction or design.

Referring to each of these 1A, 1B, and 1C collectively, it may be seenthat in each embodiment the hand shield 10 is designed to be attached toa sleeve 22. The sleeve 22 may form part of a protective garment 24 asdepicted in FIG. 1A. Alternatively, the sleeve and hand shieldcombination may be used by itself, that is, without requiring its usewith a protective garment as depicted in FIGS. 1B and 1C. Irrespectiveof its use, in many embodiments, the hand shield 10 is connected inproximity to the hand end or distal portion 26 of the sleeve 22 whichmay include being attached to a sleeve cuff 28 should the sleeve 22possess a cuff 28. It should be noted that the terms “lower” or “distal”when referring to the sleeve are used to denote features that are closerto the hands of a wearer as differentiated from features that are closerto the shoulder region of the wearer.

The hand shield 10 or at least a portion of the hand shield 10 isdesigned to detach from the sleeve 22 at a predetermined zone ofseparation 30. The attachment of the hand shield to the sleeve isconfigured such that a peripheral opening 32 of the hand shield 10 isaligned with, and shares a border with, a peripheral surface 34 of thedistal portion 26 of the sleeve 22. This configuration enables thewearer to extend his hand through the sleeve 22 directly into the handshield 10. In many embodiments the zone of separation 30 is positionedon the outside or exterior surface of the sleeve so that the distalportion 26 of the sleeve 22 or the sleeve cuff 28 is occluded by thehand shield. Alternatively, the sleeve 22 may form the exterior surfaceif desired and the hand shield attached to an inner surface of thesleeve.

The zone of separation 30, is that region specifically designed to failthus enabling the intentional separation of the hand shield 10 from thesleeve 22. The zone of separation 30 is configured so as to minimize thegeneration of loose particulate. In one embodiment, the hand shield 10is made to detach from the sleeve 22 by pulling the hand shield withsufficient force resulting in an intentional separation of the handshield 10 or at least a portion thereof from the sleeve 22 at the zoneof separation 30. The force necessary to separate the hand shield fromthe sleeve is dependent upon a number of controllable design parametersincluding: the materials selected in the manufacture of the sleeve; thematerials used in the manufacture of the hand shield; and the mannerand/or form with which the hand shield is attached to the sleeve. Insome embodiments, a portion of the hand shield may remain attached tothe sleeve or sleeve cuff. In such embodiments safeguards should beincorporated into the design in order to minimize the potential for theremaining portion of the hand shield to otherwise negatively impact thesterility of the subsequently donned gloves. Such methods are discussedbelow.

It should be appreciated that the type of fabric or material used forthe sleeve 22 is in no way a limiting factor of the invention. Thesleeve may be made from a multitude of materials, including nonwovenmaterials suitable for disposable use. For example, if the sleeve 22 ofa protective garment 24 were used with or designed to form a part of asurgical gown, the sleeve 22 may be made of a nonwoven material lesslikely to tear during donning or wearing. One material particularly wellsuited for use with the present invention is a three-layer nonwovenmaterial known as SMS or Spunbond-Meltblown-Spunbond laminate. See forexample U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock et al. One particular advantageis that SMS exhibits enhanced fluid barrier characteristics making itespecially desirable for use in a surgical setting. It should be noted,however, that other nonwovens in addition to other materials includingwovens, knits, films, foam/film laminates, and combinations thereof maybe used in the construction of the present invention.

Looking still to FIGS. 1A-C, as stated above, the sleeve 22 mayincorporate a cuff 28 attached to the distal portion 26 of the sleeve22. The configuration of the cuff 28 and the materials used in itsconstruction may vary widely. For example, cuffs made from a knittedmaterial may be provided. The cuff 28 may be formed with or withoutribs. The cuff may be formed of a liquid repellant material or a liquidretentive material. Examples of other cuff materials suitable for usewith garments according to the present invention may be nonwovens suchas those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,594,955 and 5,680,653, both ofwhich are incorporated herein in their entirety for all purposes.

The hand shield itself may also be manufactured from a number ofsuitable materials. For example, the sleeve material may be used tomanufacture the hand shield. That is, if the sleeve is made of anonwoven material, then the hand shield may be made of the samematerial. This capability would serve to minimize the materialsnecessary in manufacturing the final product. Moreover, it may providefor a simpler construction in that there would be no need to accommodatea method or construct capable of attaching different materialspossessing, perhaps, disparate properties.

Other materials are suitable in the construction of the hand shield 10.By way of example and not limitation, two such materials may includepolyethylene and vinyl. These materials provide the advantage of beinginexpensive and easily adapted for use in the present invention. Forexample, polyethylene may be formed into a film ply which subsequentlycould be sealed upon itself or to another ply so as to form thepouch-like compartment. Sealing methods may include the application ofheat, adhesive, or both. In the case of vinyl, a hand shield may be madeusing dip forming techniques in conjunction with a platisol andappropriate heat treatments, known to those skilled in the art. One suchexample may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,386 which is incorporatedherein in its entirety for all purposes. Other techniques for affixingone ply to another or for otherwise creating the pouch-like compartmentare known and would be understood by those skilled in the art.

As for the manner or form in which the hand shield is attached to thesleeve, a number of possibilities are contemplated. In some embodiments,the hand shield may be affixed to the sleeve simply by use of anappropriately selected bonding agent or combination of agents. One suchbonding agent might comprise an adhesive, for example, a hot melt orpressure sensitive adhesive. Alternative bonding agents may be utilizedas well. The hand shield also may be affixed to the sleeve by othermeans, alone or in combination. Such other means include but are notlimited to: sewn stitching; fused regions which may be created by thepartial melting and resolidification of selected regions of the handshield and/or a portion of the sleeve or sleeve cuff; contiguousconnections such as regions of material separated or otherwisealternated with voids or perforations. Turning now to FIGS. 2-5, a fewof these possibilities are illustrated. By way of example and notlimitation; these configurations, combinations of the same, and othersuitable arrangements are understood to form a part of the presentinvention. Additional forms of fastening the hand shield to the sleeveto foster the intentional separation of the hand shield from the sleevewithout generating loose particulate, including thermal bonding,pressure bonding, chemical bonding, radiation induced degradation of aselected material, etc., would be apparent to those skilled in the art.An aspect that each of these methods of fastening have in common is thatthe connection between the hand shield and the sleeve is designed tofail or fracture thereby separating the two components from one anotherin some manner.

Looking first to FIG. 2, the hand shield 10 is shown affixed to thesleeve 22 at the zone of separation 30. As stated earlier, the zone ofseparation is designed to fail thereby fostering the intentionalseparation of the hand shield 10 from the sleeve 22. The bonding agent,in this embodiment an adhesive 36, is situated between an inner surfaceof the hand shield and the outer surface of the sleeve. Of course, asstated earlier, there is no requirement that the bonding agent be anadhesive, however in the FIG. 2 embodiment an adhesive is described forease and clarity. The adhesive 36 selected should enable the hand shieldto be removed from the sleeve without causing damage to or leaving looseparticulate on the sleeve. Whether the adhesive remains behind on thesleeve is not important so long as it is sufficiently adhered so as notto shed or otherwise inadvertently release from the sleeve at aninopportune time. As earlier stated, appropriate adhesives found usefulin the present invention may comprise pressure sensitive adhesives, hotmelt adhesives, or other adhesives compatible with the materials of thesleeve and hand shield having the properties described above.

In the FIG. 2 embodiment, placement of the adhesive may be accomplishedby coating, spraying, printing, slot coating, laminating or other knownconventional processes. The adhesive may be applied to one surface ofthe hand shield 10, the corresponding surface of the sleeve 22, or both.This includes either the inner surface or the outer surface of eitherthe hand shield or sleeve. In sum, the adhesive of FIG. 2 should bedisposed between the hand shield and the sleeve. It is to be understoodthat if the sleeve 22 has a cuff 28, then the adhesive may be applied tothe cuff as well. As one example, the adhesive may be applied to aninterior surface of the hand shield 10 and a portion of the hand shieldmay be allowed to occlude a portion of the sleeve. In FIG. 2, thelocation of the adhesive also forms the zone of separation 30, in thatappropriate selection of the adhesive 36 will result in the zone ofseparation 30 failing when the hand shield is disassociated from thesleeve by pulling on the hand shield. Adhesives are available and may beselected so that the adhesive would adhere more strongly to the handshield resulting in little to no adhesive remaining on the sleeve. Ifdesired, an appropriate adhesive may be designed that would adhere morestrongly to the sleeve if it were so desired.

It should be noted that in many cases, such as that illustrated in FIG.2, the location of the bonding agent and the zone of separation 30coincide. In other embodiments, for example, that of FIG. 3, the zone ofseparation 30 may be separate and distinct from the region where thesleeve and hand shield are attached to one another. Turning to FIG. 3 itcan be seen that perforations 40 have been added at or near the bondingagent, i.e., the region where the sleeve and hand shield are attached toone another. These perforations 40 work in a manner identical to thoseseen in paper products, i.e., they form a focal point for tearing topropagate. As can be seen in this embodiment, the perforations may beused in combination with any bonding agent, including the adhesive 36similar to that described in FIG. 2.

This manner of attaching the hand shield to the sleeve illustrates oneexample of an embodiment that permits a partial removal of the handshield. That is, in the FIG. 3 embodiment, a band of material 42 iscaused to remain attached to the sleeve. For example, as depicted inFIG. 3, the hand shield 10 may be situated so that it is attached to aninside surface of the sleeve 22. Pulling the hand shield detaches itfrom the sleeve at the perforations 40 while leaving behind the band ofmaterial 42 which is attached to the sleeve by the adhesive 36. Sincethe band of material 42 is within the sleeve, it is occluded by thesleeve and is therefore of little threat to the aseptic conditionsdesired. As can be seen, the zone of separation 30, in this casecomprises the perforations 40 and not the region of attachment betweenthe sleeve and hand shield.

Obviously, the FIG. 3 embodiment may be adapted to place the hand shieldupon the exterior of the sleeve. In this case, some means to minimizepotential impact of the band of material 42 on the sterility of thecombination is required. Such means may include: subsequent removal ofthe band of material 42; sufficiently adhering the band of material 42to the sleeve so as not to interfere with the procedure intended; and/ormanufacturing the combination so that the band of material 42 isultimately occluded by the sterile glove later donned.

FIG. 4 depicts the use of an embodiment without resort to a bondingagent. One example of this embodiment, the zone of separation 30 iscoincident with a groove 44 or other necked region between the handshield and the sleeve. A number of methods may be employed that create aweakened zone or region between the hand shield and the sleeve. Apartial listing of some examples include but are not limited to:perforations; grooving or thinning of the material under a compressiveforce or thermal source; providing a frangible connection; partiallymelting and resolidifying selected regions of the garment; radiationinduced degradation of selected regions of the garment, including theuse of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light spectra, etc. Suchmethods for creating a weakened zone or region in a material would beapparent to those skilled in the art. This configuration may beparticularly useful if the sleeve and hand shield were manufactured fromthe same or similar materials, for example, a nonwoven web. As should beevident from this illustration, pulling upon the hand shield causes itto separate from the sleeve between the perforations.

FIG. 5 depicts yet another embodiment. In this embodiment the handshield is sewn or otherwise stitched to the cuff 28 at the juncture ofthe cuff 28 and the sleeve 22. Many protective garments incorporatecuffs upon the gown sleeves. Moreover, it is common practice in the artto sew or stitch the cuff to the sleeve. As such, sewing the hand shieldto the sleeve cuff, even at a region coincident with the juncture of thecuff 28 and the sleeve 22 should prove reasonably simple to incorporateinto the manufacturing process.

In addition to these enumerated embodiments, numerous other methods forattaching the hand shield to the sleeve are possible. Each embodiment ischaracterized by possessing a zone of separation designed to fail. It isthe failure of this zone of separation that enables the hand shield orat least a portion of the same to be removed from the sleeve. These andnumerous other embodiments, as well as combinations of any particularfeature in these enumerated embodiments are capable of being combinedwith any other aspect of one or more of the other embodiments.

This invention makes it easier to don a sterile glove in an unassistedmanner. For example, in one donning method, the hand shield is attachedto the sleeve so that when a wearer's hand and arm are inserted into thesleeve, the hand fully engages the hand shield. However, the hand shieldmay be positioned on the sleeve so that the sleeve cuff obstructs aportion of the wearer's hand, that is, it may terminate across the palmof the wearer's hand. Alternatively, it is possible for the sleeve cuffto terminate at the wearer's wrist when the hand shield is donned. Ineither event, this minimizes the amount of the wearer's hand outside ofthe sleeve itself and, in both instances, the wearer's hand is still atleast partially contained within the hand shield. In each case, thewearer may gain additional dexterity and desirable hand placement,either of which enable easier unassisted donning of sterile gloves.

It should be apparent that this invention is especially well adapted tobe used for the unassisted donning of gloves in place of or insimplifying either the open or closed donning techniques. Accordingly,while this invention has been described by reference to certain specificembodiments and examples, it will be understood that this invention iscapable of further modifications. This application is, therefore,intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the inventionfollowing the general principles thereof, and including such departuresfrom the present disclosure as come within known or customary practicein the art to which this invention pertains and fall within the limitsof the appended claims.

1. A protective garment, comprising: a garment body having sleeves, eachsleeve terminating in an open end; a hand shield attached to at leastone of the sleeves such that a portion of the sleeve and hand shieldoverlap one another, the hand shield comprising a pouch-like compartmenthaving a peripheral opening aligned with and having a common border witha peripheral surface of the sleeve adapted to receive a portion of awearers hand therethrough and contain the same within the compartment;wherein at least a portion of the hand shield is permanently detachablefrom the sleeve at a zone of separation without damaging the sleeve. 2.The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment body is selected from thegroup consisting essentially of medical gowns, clean room garments, andwork wear.
 3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hand shield comprisesa film formed into a pouch-like compartment.
 4. The garment of claim 1,wherein the hand shield comprises the same material as the sleevematerial.
 5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the physical configurationof the hand shield is selected from the group consisting essentially ofa glove, a mitt, and a pouch.
 6. The garment of claim 1, comprising abonding agent for attaching the hand shield to the sleeve.
 7. Thegarment of claim 6, wherein the bonding agent comprises an adhesive. 8.The garment of claim 6, wherein the bonding agent is applied to a regioncoincident with the zone of separation.
 9. The garment of claim 1,wherein the zone of separation comprises a region capable of failurethereby separating the hand shield from the sleeve without generatingloose particulate.
 10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hand shieldis attached to the sleeve by any combination of the use of a bondingagent, perforations, thermal bonding, pressure bonding, chemicalbonding, a frangible connection, and mechanical fasteners.
 11. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein a bonding agent is applied to an insidesurface of the hand shield such that a portion of the sleeve is occludedby a portion of the hand shield.
 12. A protective garment, comprising: asleeve having an interior region, an opening, and a peripheral surface;a hand shield having an interior region and a peripheral opening, theperipheral opening of the hand shield is attached to and shares a commonborder with the peripheral surface of the sleeve enabling direct accessbetween the interior regions of the sleeve and the hand shield, whereina portion of the sleeve and the hand shield overlap one another; whereinat least a portion of the hand shield is permanently detachable from thesleeve at a zone of separation without damaging the sleeve.
 13. Thegarment of claim 12, wherein the zone of separation comprises theattachment between the hand shield and the sleeve.
 14. The garment ofclaim 12, comprising a bonding agent for attaching the hand shield tothe sleeve.
 15. The garment of claim 12, wherein the hand shieldcomprises the same material as the sleeve material.
 16. The garment ofclaim 12, wherein the zone of separation comprises a region capable offailure thereby separating the hand shield from the sleeve withoutgenerating loose particulate wherein the hand shield comprises a filmformed into a pouch-like compartment.
 17. The garment of claim 12,wherein the hand shield is attached to the sleeve by any combination ofthe use of a bonding agent, perforations, thermal bonding, pressurebonding, chemical bonding, a frangible connection, and mechanicalfasteners.
 18. The garment of claim 12, wherein a bonding agent isapplied to an inside surface of the hand shield such that a portion ofthe sleeve Is occluded by a portion of the hand shield.
 19. The garmentof claim 14, wherein the bonding agent is applied to a region coincidentwith the zone of separation.